By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After two dramatic games, they proved that you don’t have to dominate your opponent necessarily, but you only need to be better than him as much as needed in the categories that matter the most.
Statathlon, CSKA Moscow’s Data Analytics provider, that can take some credit for this season’s success at the Final Four, presents the numbers of the triumph.
Semifinal Analysis
CSKA Moscow made a great comeback in the fourth quarter against Real Madrid. Even though the Spanish team was ahead in most of the game, even with 14 points in the 26th minute, it fell short in the final period where CSKA outscored it by 13 points. Probably the most obvious reason has been the significant difference in Free Throws attempted. CSKA attempted 42, while Real just 24. In other words, CSKA had an outstanding Free Throw Rate of 0.75. Real had a Free Throw Rate (0.343) which is greater than the average Euroleague team, but still low compared to CSKA’s. Even though CSKA attempted 14 less Field Goals, on the other hand, it scored +13 points from the free throw line.
However, even without the ability to draw shooting fouls, CSKA could also have won this game as its overall shooting efficiency was better than Real’s. The former European champion made 5 more Field Goals than CSKA, but also had 14 more attempts. As it is evident by the EFG% index, Real Madrid was kept much lower than its average season performance. In fact, CSKA scored 1.7 points per shot while Real just 1.28, Or leaving Free Throws aside, 61 points in 56 FG Attempts (1.09 Points/FGA) against 69 points in 70 FG Attempts (0.99 Points/FGA). Moreover, in the following table, the reader can see that Real Madrid performed better in a few categories such as Offensive Rebounding and Turnovers, but the difference wasn’t notable.
Nando de Colo was great, especially during clutch time, Clyburn had another one impressive performance, but it was probably Sergio Rodriguez the hero of CSKA Moscow for 3 quarters. The veteran Point Guard scored 19 points in this period including three 3 – pointers, finishing with 23 points and only 2 turnovers (his TOV% was just 11.2%). In addition, while he was on floor he assisted an impressive 71.6% of his teammates’ field goals.
In the defensive end, CSKA Moscow did a great job guarding most of the key players of Real Madrid. Anthony Randolph, one of the greatest spot shooters of Real, had just 31.8% in EFG%, the second-worst record of his team after Gustavo Ayon. In addition, during clutch time (final 5 minutes, none of the teams leading more than 5 points) Real Madrid scored only 3 field goals, having 25% in 2 – pointers and 28.3% in 3 – pointers, much lower than its season average.
Final Analysis
The final was a great game between two clubs competing for the title of the best team in Europe. Even though CSKA Moscow never lost its lead since 12 – 14 in the 6th minute, Anadolu Efes kept fighting till the very last moment. Unlike the semifinal, this time CSKA was more concentrated to its goal for 40 minutes and better than its opponent in most of the categories.
CSKA Moscow was excellent beyond the arc, as it made 14 three-pointers with 63.6% shooting percentage. In addition, it shot with 53.1% in 2 – pointers. Overall, CSKA Moscow had a 70.4% Effective Field Goal Percentage which is the best second record in the history of finals, only behind Maccabi Tel Aviv that had 80.3% in 2004 against Skipper Bologna. On the other hand, Anadolu Efes had a rather poor shooting performance, ending up with 45% in EFG% and just 37.5% in 2 – pointers. This has been a key factor, taking into consideration that prior to the final, Anadolu Efes averaged 51.2% in 2 – pointers and was ranked second in the league in EFG%.
Once more, CSKA Moscow grabbed less Offensive Rebounds and committed more Turnovers than its opponent. It is interesting that Anadolu Efes, the second worst team in Offensive Rebounding in Euroleague, had 19 Offensive Rebounds, which means 41.3% of its missed shots ended up to hands of its players again. However, it scored only 19 points (1 Point/Possession), while CSKA had 11 Second Chance Points and 8 Offensive Rebounds (1.38 Point/Possession).
It is also worth pointing out that Anadolu Efes is one of the best teams in the league in Pick & Roll and Transition. The Euroleague runner – up averages approximately 22.5 attempts and 32 points per game in those 3 play types. Against CSKA Moscow those numbers were reduced however to 18 attempts and 17 points respectively.
Focusing on a few individual performances, the most decisive factor has probably been the tough defense CSKA Moscow has played on Micic and Moerman. Micic dropped from 56.4% (season average) to 38.5% in EFG% with 4/13 FGA. Likewise, Moerman who averages 16.2 points produced per game (point scored plus points assisted), had just 2 points scored and 0 assists in 30 minutes.
Glossary
Effective Field Goal Percentage (EFG%) : An index of shooting efficiency that takes into account that 3 – point field goals count for 3 points and 2 – point field goals for 2 points.
Free Throw Rate (FTR) : Number of Free Throws Attempted per Field Goal Attempt.
Assist Percentage (AST%) : An estimate of the percentage of teammate Field Goals a player assisted.
Turnover Percentage (TOV%) : An estimate of Turnovers per 100 plays.
Rebound Percentage (REB%) : An estimate of available rebounds a player/team grabbed.
Points Produced : Points scored + points assisted.